Department for Transport

Travel Restrictions

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they havemade of the long-term economic impact of the restrictions on international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic on (1)aviation communities, and (2) the UK.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government recognises the challenging circumstances facing the aviation industry as a result of Covid-19 and firms experiencing difficulties can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor. In total, we estimate that by the end of April 2021 the air transport sector (airlines, airports and related services) has benefited from around £7bn of Government support since the start of the pandemic. The Government conducted an assessment of the impact of the International Travel regulations, including the Passenger Locator Form and self-isolation in June 2020. The International Travel regulations are subject to review at least once every 28 days, to ensure they are in line with the latest scientific evidence and remain effective and necessary.

Airports: Coronavirus

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue instructions to UK airports regarding separate immigration controls for flights arriving from ‘red list’ countries.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has issued clear guidance for both passengers and operators, with airports encouraged to introduce clear signage and one-way passenger flows where appropriate. Arrangements may vary depending on the airport and guidance is available to support operators to manage flows in a COVID-secure way. We continue to improve processes which maintain the checks we need to carry out to keep the public safe, while minimising disruption, and passengers can support this process by ensuring they have completed the necessary requirements to enter the UK. The Government continues to engage with the aviation sector to ensure it is supported in implementing best practices.

Freight: Driving

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of drivers available for the logistics industry; what steps they are taking to address any shortage of such drivers; and what plans they have to improve the supply of trained technicians and mechanics able to work on heavy goods vehicles.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The labour shortages in the sector are longstanding. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus to ensure that jobseekers can find employment or training in the industry as quickly as possible. We are also working with the Department for Education in supporting the logistics sector make the most of the opportunities provided through the apprenticeship levy. There is a range of Government backed apprenticeships, delivered by training providers and manufacturers, encouraging training of technicians and mechanics to work on heavy goods vehicles.

Aircraft: Exhaust Emissions

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Mitigating the Climate Forcing of Aircraft Contrails by Small-Scale Diversions and Technology Adoption, published on 12 February 2020, which found a beneficial impact of altering the altitudes of some aircraft to reduce the impact of contrails on solar radiation; and whether this will affect their approach to airspace management.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has made no specific assessment of the particular study referred to but takes all relevant information into account in its policy decisions. We will be shortly consulting on a Net Zero Aviation Strategy which will set out the steps to reach net zero carbon emissions from aviation by 2050. The consultation will also consider non-CO2 emissions and highlight the uncertainty that currently exists regarding the impact that non-CO2 emissions, and contrails specifically, could have on the climate. We recognise that more work will need to be done to address this uncertainty and will continue to ensure that the latest scientific understanding of aviation non-CO2 effects is used to inform our policy.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what restrictions they have imposed on flights arriving from ‘red list’ countries.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Direct flight bans apply to most countries on the ‘Red List’, and operators must only deliver passengers who have travelled indirectly from a ‘Red List’ country in the previous 10 days to a designated port. Passengers who have been in a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days prior to their arrival will only be allowed to enter the UK if they are a British or Irish National, or have residence rights in the UK. Alongside the requirements to take a pre-departure test and complete the Passenger Locator Form, most people who are allowed to enter England from a country on the red list will be required to quarantine for 10 days in a government-approved managed quarantine hotel with Covid-19 tests on days 2 and 8. Direct flight bans were not introduced for countries added to the ‘Red List’ on 9 and 23 April, which had regular scheduled services to England (Pakistan, Bangladesh and India), on a trial basis. Passengers on direct flights were still subject to measures such as quarantine in a government-approved managed quarantine hotel. We continually assess the data to understand the efficacy of measures such as managed hotel quarantine, entry bans and testing to ensure public health is protected.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Post Office: Public Inquiries

Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission a public inquiry into the Post Office.

Lord Callanan: The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry was set up in September 2020. My Hon. friend the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets announced to the House on 19 May that the government will put the ongoing Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry to a statutory footing on 1 June. This will ensure that the Chair, Sir Wyn Williams, has all the powers he needs to get to the bottom of what happened.Following the change to a statutory Inquiry, the final report will now be delivered by Autumn 2022, so that Sir Wyn will have more time to determine what went wrong at the Post Office during this period to ensure the right lessons have been learnt and avoid the situation being repeated in the future.

Hospitality Industry and Leisure: Minimum Wage

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of companies’ compliance with minimum wage requirements in the (1) hospitality, and (2) leisure, industries; and what steps they are taking to ensure such compliance.

Lord Callanan: The ONS’ Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is the most detailed and comprehensive source of earnings information available in the UK. ASHE provides a proxy measure of both the scale and nature of non-compliance with the relevant statutory minimum wage. In April 2020, we estimate that there were around 38,000 jobs paid below the applicable minimum wage rate and non-compliant with minimum wage legislation in the hospitality sector, and 3,000 in the leisure sector. This excludes individuals who were furloughed, as they would not have been working at that time.The Government is committed to cracking down on employers who fail to pay the NMW. We are clear that everyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it. As well as investigating every worker complaint, HMRC also undertake proactive investigations (referred to as targeted enforcement) based on the identification of the risk of non-compliance, and deliver a programme of upstream ‘Promote’ work designed to promote understanding and encourage employer compliance.We have more than doubled the budget for minimum wage enforcement and compliance, which is now over £27 million annually, up from £13.2 million in 2015/16. There are now over 400 HMRC staff involved in the enforcement of the minimum wage. In 2020/21 HMRC concluded over 2,700 minimum wage investigations, returning more than £16.7m in arrears to over 155,000 workers. Since 2015, the Government has ordered employers to repay £100 million to 1 million workers.

Small Businesses: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase awareness of government support for small businesses in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Callanan: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy continues to deliver a rolling plan of engagement with UK SMEs, webinars and other events across the spectrum of our sectors to discuss the impact of COVID-19 and the continued support Government is providing to small businesses.Moreover, through the Growth Hubs, led and governed by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP), business advisers can highlight potential sources of support available and increase awareness of government support for small businesses. Demand for Growth Hub services doubled in the first 6 months of COVID-19 impact. LEP’s have self-reported that in the first six months of the financial year 2020-2021 (1/4/20 to 31/10/20) alone, their Growth Hubs have engaged with over 1.63m businesses and individuals; provided direct support to over 147,000 businesses (of which an estimated 6,400 received over 12 hours of high level support); and helped an estimated 3,900 individuals start a business.The Government’s business advice pages on GOV.UK also provide information and guidance relevant to starting, growing and maintaining a business, as well as their statutory rights and obligations. More detail on the support provided by devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland can also be found online: www.gov.uk/browse/business.

Nuclear Power Stations

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the current nuclear plants they expect to be operating in 2030.

Lord Callanan: There are currently 15 nuclear reactors operating at 8 stations across England and Scotland, all operated by EDF. On the basis of current scheduled closure dates, all 14 of the advanced gas cooled reactors (AGR) will close between 2022 and 2030. Of the current generating fleet, only Sizewell B power station with its pressurised water reactor (PWR) is expected to continue generation past 2030. The developer of Hinkley Point C is forecasting that it will also be generating before 2030.

Nuclear Power

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether nuclear plants are currently able to provide one fifth of UK electricity supplies.

Lord Callanan: The total installed nuclear capacity in the UK is 8.9 GW and if all stations were fully operational they could provide more than a fifth of UK electricity supplies. However, a proportion is likely to be unavailable at any given point due to routine inspections, maintenance and technical issues.In 2020 nuclear power stations generated around 16% of the electricity generated in the UK. This figure is provisional and final figures will be published in July in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES: the annual energy statistics publication produced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy).

Sizewell B Power Station

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect Sizewell B to return to service.

Lord Callanan: Sizewell B was brought offline on 16 April 2021 for planned refuelling and maintenance work. The outage has been extended to 30 August 2021 to allow for additional work to be carried out. The reactor will not be returned to service without the permission of the regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

Dungeness B Power Station: Closures

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect Dungeness Bto close this year.

Lord Callanan: The decision to close a nuclear power station is a matter for the operator (EDF) and the regulator (Office for Nuclear Regulation). The current scheduled closure date for Dungeness B is 2028.Currently EDF forecast the station’s reactors to return to service in July and August 2021.

Hinkley Point B Power Station and Hunterston B Power Station: Closures

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect EDF to close (1) Hinkley Point B, and (2) Hunterston B, permanently by next year; and if so, on what grounds they would be closed.

Lord Callanan: The decision to close a nuclear power station is a matter for the operator (EDF) and the regulator (Office for Nuclear Regulation). On 27 August 2020 EDF announced that Hunterston B power station would end generation by January 2022. On 19 November 2020 EDF announced that Hinkley Point B would end generation by July 2022. The grounds for closure are because of end-of-life of components which cannot be replaced, which is expected as a station ages.

Genetics: Research

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that palaeographic genetic data is kept in the public domain.

Lord Callanan: Her Majesty’s Government supports the management of and access to research data, so that it can be widely used for research and innovation. The UK Research and Development Roadmap (copy attached) published last year emphasised the importance of data and open research. The UK enjoys a well-established infrastructure and policy framework for good research data management and access, covering multiple disciplines, including national data centres such as the National Geosciences Data Centre. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the UK’s largest public research funder, requires those in receipt of funding from Research Councils to ensure “that all parties engaged in the research make every reasonable effort to ensure that intellectual assets obtained in the course of the research, whether protected by intellectual property rights or not, are used for the benefit of society and the economy”. UKRI and its Research Councils have policies that set out expectations and guidance on sharing and managing research data. It has a common set of principles on research data, including that publicly funded research data are a public good, produced in the public interest, which should be made openly available with as few restrictions as possible in a responsible manner. UKRI in partnership with research organisations developed the Concordat on Open Research Data to ensure that the research data gathered and generated by members of the UK research community is made available for use by others wherever possible. UKRI work closely with international bodies to enable global sharing and access to data in the interest of the economy and society. Recently the OECD’s Recommendation on Access to Research Data from Public Funding was updated and this will guide further policy and support in the UK as well as across all OECD members.  UK Research and Development Roadmap (pdf, 2922.4KB)

Deep Sea Mining

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to supporting the call by the European Commission and others for a moratorium on deep sea mining.

Lord Callanan: There is no deep sea mining currently happening in areas beyond national jurisdictions, there are no exploitation licences for deep sea mining, and no exploitation regulations have yet been agreed. Any mining licenced under future regulations is unlikely to begin for several years. In addition, the UK has committed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems and strong and enforceable environmental regulations and standards have been developed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and are in place. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it is the role of the ISA to regulate and control all mineral-related activities in the international seabed area for the benefit of mankind as a whole. In so doing, the ISA has the duty to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep seabed activities. The UK has a strong and respected voice in these international negotiations and the UK position emphasises the need to ensure that the highest possible environmental standards are met in the development of this new industry. We judge that engaging fully with these negotiations is the most effective way for the UK to work with others so that no deep sea mining takes place in the absence of strong and enforceable environmental regulations and standards. This includes requiring that Regional Environmental Management Plans are adopted for each region before any exploitation licence can even be considered, as well as the adoption of strong and enforceable environmental Standards as well as Guidelines. Finally, on terminology, we note that the European Commission, in its recent sustainable blue economy strategy, has not made reference to a moratorium, but has set out that “In international negotiations, the EU should advocate that marine minerals in the international seabed area cannot be exploited before the effects of deep-sea mining on the marine environment, biodiversity and human activities have been sufficiently researched, the risks are understood and the technologies and operational practices are able to demonstrate no serious harm to the environment.” We understand from the statement that the outcomes we and the Commission are arguing for are essentially the same, that no deep sea mining should take place in the absence of strong and enforceable environmental regulations and standards.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the response of patients with (1) asthma, and (2) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to the COVID-19 vaccination programme; and what assessment they have made of that programme's prioritisation of such patients.

Lord Bethell: Public Health England (PHE) is actively monitoring effectiveness of vaccination in accordance with the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance strategy. This includes monitoring of clinical risk groups which will include those with chronic respiratory disease as defined in “Immunisation against infectious disease” (the Green Book). PHE has made no assessment of the response to the COVID-19 vaccination programme in people with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).PHE supports the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation which has prioritised people with severe asthma and/or COPD into cohort six together with other people in an at-risk group: “Individuals with a severe lung condition, including those with asthma that requires continuous or repeated use of systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission, and COPD including chronic bronchitis and emphysema”. The examples are not exhaustive, and, within these groups, the prescriber should apply clinical judgement to take into account the risk of COVID-19 exacerbating any underlying disease that a patient may have, as well as the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 itself.

Protective Clothing: Health Hazards

Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any research on the effects of continuous mask-wearing over long periods; and if so what are the findings of that research.

Lord Bethell: Public Health England has not conducted any research nor conducted a review of research evidence on this topic.

Coronavirus: Greater London

Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were tested for COVID-19 during the surge testing in Lambeth and Wandsworth in April.

Lord Bethell: During the surge testing in April, 77,481 people were tested.

Coronavirus: Immunotherapy

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to order monoclonal antibody therapies as an alternative to COVID-19 vaccines; and if so, whether they plan to do so before AstraZeneca reports the findings of its PROVENT study.

Lord Bethell: The Therapeutics Taskforce continues to monitor a range of COVID-19 therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies, aimed at different stages of the treatment pathway. There has been a collaboration with the Vaccines Taskforce to assess the potential of neutralising monoclonal antibodies to provide passive immunity as an alternative to COVID-19 vaccines. We continue to work closely with the cross-agency group RAPID C-19, to assess evidence from clinical trials and delivery to patients, following regulatory approval.We are in contact with a number of manufacturers to ensure that United Kingdom patients have access to COVID-19 therapeutics as evidence continues to emerge. Clinical trials, such as AstraZeneca’s PROVENT study, will be crucial in providing evidence as to which treatments are most effective.

Diamorphine

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 29 April (HL15336), what assessment they have made of the supply of diamorphine; what steps they are taking to ensure that any shortage in the availability of diamorphine to NHS patients is addressed; and when they expect any such shortage to end.

Lord Bethell: The Department is aware of ongoing supply issues resulting in intermittent availability of diamorphine injections, due to manufacturing issues. Further supplies of diamorphine injections are expected to be available in June. The Department continues to work closely with all suppliers and the National Health Service to maintain supply to patients who require it. The Department has communicated this issue to the NHS, advising the need to move to alternative opioids where diamorphine is currently used.

Department for Education

Swimming: Primary Education

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what help they are providing to primary schools to ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn to swim before moving on to secondary school.

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many primary school children have not been able to swim the statutory 25 metres in the 2019/20 academic year and what is their projection for this figure in 2020/2021.

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the £320 million of PE and sport premium available for primary schools has been spent on children’s swimming.

Baroness Berridge: The department does not collect data from schools on how many pupils are able to swim 25 metres, but data from Sport England’s annual Active Lives Children Survey provides the government with a national picture. Data for the 2019-20 academic year shows that 77% of children in year 7 report they can swim 25 metres.The physical education (PE) and sport premium can be used by primary schools to support swimming and water safety, for example, through ‘top-up’ lessons or additional teaching training. The department provides schools with the flexibility to decide how to spend their premium in line with the conditions of the grant and do not collect data on the proportion or the amount of spend for any given activity.In addition to the PE and sport premium, schools are able to access new virtual water safety lessons from Oak National Academy and the department will be supporting the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Drowning Prevention Week in June 2021. The department has provided an additional £10.1 million to improve the use of school sport facilities, including swimming pools. New resources to support children with special educational needs and disabilities to swim and knowing how to be safe in and around the water have been developed through the department’s Inclusion 2020 grant, which is led by the Youth Sport Trust. These resources are available on Swim England’s inclusion hub.

Apprentices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to limit the entry requirements for level two apprenticeships.

Baroness Berridge: High-quality apprenticeships at level 2 are an important part of our programme, supporting people from all backgrounds to gain the skills they need to begin or progress in their career. To help employers offer new apprenticeships at all levels, employers can claim £3,000 for each apprentice they take on as a new employee until 30 September 2021, as part of the government’s Plan for Jobs.Although it is for employers to decide which apprenticeships they offer and when, and any specific entry requirements, we encourage employers to open up apprenticeship opportunities to a wide group of potential applicants. To remove barriers to entry for prospective apprentices, we are clear to employers that we will fund apprentices without English and maths to achieve Functional Skills qualifications during their apprenticeship.Our Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network of over 85 employers promotes best practice in recruiting and supporting apprentices from less advantaged backgrounds to diversify their workforce. In addition, our Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge programme supports schools across England to provide students with information on apprenticeships.Through our Plan for Jobs, we are also providing a range of support to help young people access high-quality training to develop the skills, experience, and confidence to obtain an apprenticeship. We are supporting the largest-ever expansion of traineeships to help young people who are not yet ready for an apprenticeship, providing funding for an additional 30,000 places in the 2020/21 academic year. We are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to enable Kickstart placements to turn into apprenticeships where that is the right thing for the employer and the young person. We have made a special provision to allow employers taking on ‘Kickstarters’ as apprentices to be eligible for the incentive payment, supporting a pathway between the schemes.

Adult Education

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase participation in adult education below level three.

Baroness Berridge: Through the adult education budget (AEB), we fully fund or co-fund skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes fully funded first full level 2 and/or level 3 for learners aged 19 to 23.Learners in receipt of low wage (£17,374.50 annual gross salary or less) who would previously have been co-funded, are eligible for full funding following the earlier low wage trial that operated in the 2018/19 and the 2019/20 academic years. This directly supports social mobility by enabling those that have been motivated to move out of unemployment and are low paid or skilled, to further progress.We specifically recognise the importance of English, mathematics and digital skills, both in work and everyday life. That is why we are continuing to support participation in these areas to meet employers’ needs and support people to progress in employment or further study.We provide full funding for learners who need English and mathematics skills to undertake a range of courses in GCSEs, Functional Skills and other relevant qualifications from entry level to level 2. We also fully or co-fund adults to take English for Speakers of Other Languages as part of our wider effort to improve adult literacy in England.Adults with no or low digital skills are fully funded to undertake new Essential Digital Skills Qualifications at entry level and level 1, based on new national standards for essential digital skills, which equip learners with the digital skills needed for life, work and further study.We also support training for adults in community settings through the AEB. Prioritised for disadvantaged learners, community learning can provide a 'stepping stone' for those adults who are not ready for formal accredited learning, or who would benefit from learning in a more informal way.The department is reviewing post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below, to ensure that every qualification approved for public funding has a distinct purpose, is high quality and supports progression to positive outcomes. We recognise that level 2 and below study serves students with a diverse range of needs, and that some young people and adults studying at these levels may require additional support to help realise their ambitions.One of the first steps to realise our ambitions for level 2 and below study is a government call for evidence, which launched on 12 November 2020. It gives the education sector, industry, and others with an interest in study at these levels the opportunity to share their views on how the level 2 and below system can best work in the context of our proposed reforms to level 3 qualifications. The level 2 and below call for evidence closed on 14 February. We will set out further proposals later this year. The call for evidence is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-study-at-level-2-and-below-call-for-evidence.

Adult Education: Finance

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all adult education funding that is clawed back from grant fund providers is re-invested in adult learning opportunities.

Baroness Berridge: As we address the challenges presented by COVID-19, it is vital that we support adults, including those working in sectors directly affected by COVID-19, to attain the skills that will be needed in the economy of the future. Starting this year, the government is investing £2.5 billion in the National Skills Fund. Investment in skills through the National Skills Fund is vital as it ensures that adults have the opportunity to retrain at different points throughout their lives and can progress into higher wage employment. From 1 April 2021, the government is supporting any adult who does not have A levels or equivalent qualifications, to access almost 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with Free Courses for Jobs. Complementing this support for adults, we have introduced Skills Bootcamps which offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. We have already introduced Skills Bootcamps in 6 areas (West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Lancashire, Liverpool City Region, Leeds City Region, Heart of South West, and Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire) and we are investing a further £43 million from the National Skills Fund to expand them across England. Funding that is clawed back from grant fund providers will be reinvested in departmental priorities, including to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on providers and learners, enabling us to allocate resources effectively across the department and live within our Parliamentary control totals.

English Language: Education

Lord Gilbert of Panteg: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Integrated Communities Strategy green paper, published on 14 March 2018, when they plan to publish an English language strategy.

Baroness Berridge: This government remains committed to English language as demonstrated by the manifesto commitment to boost English language teaching.We know that language skills are crucial to help people integrate into life in England, as well as to break down barriers to work and career progression. This is why we want to support all adults in England to secure the English language skills they need.The department funds English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). Currently, approximately 50% of the AEB is devolved to 7 Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority. These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education, including ESOL, for their residents and allocation of the AEB to providers. The Education and Skills Funding Agency is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas.In 2019/20, 116,100 adult learners were supported through the AEB, across devolved and non-devolved areas to improve their levels of English through fully and part funded ESOL courses.Our response to the COVID-19 outbreak is our priority at present. We will provide an update on ESOL in due course.

Adoption: Social Media

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the adoption process to safely manage potential early contact between adopted children and their birth families, in view of the increased opportunities for such contact created by social media.

Baroness Berridge: Local authorities have a legal duty to provide a comprehensive adoption service.This specifically includes “Assistance, including mediation services, in relation to arrangements for contact between an adoptive child and a natural parent, natural sibling, former guardian or a related person of the adoptive child”.We will be working with local authorities and regional adoption agencies to improve support around contact with birth relatives, including that which has started via social media.

Education: Climate Change

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to how the education system might be used to broaden public awareness about actions that individual members of the general public are able to make in line with the target to reduce the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Baroness Berridge: The department recognises the contribution it can make to help create a sustainable future through education, developing the skills needed for a green economy, and supporting sectors to reach net zero targets. Topics relating to climate change are included throughout both the science and geography curricula and in GCSEs. Through the citizenship programmes of study, pupils are taught how to explore political and social issues critically through evidence, debate, and reasoned argument. Pupils are taught that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect individuals, communities, and the sustainability of the environment. A new environmental science A Level was introduced in 2017, which will enable pupils to study topics that will support their understanding of climate change and how it will be tackled. In further and technical education, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has convened a Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel to encourage trailblazers to align apprenticeships to net zero and wider sustainability objectives. The Department for Education and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy launched the Green Jobs Taskforce in November 2020 to help the UK deliver the skilled workforce needed to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The taskforce, working in partnership with business, skills providers, and unions will develop an action plan to support 2 million good quality, green jobs and the skills needed by 2030, and so support the UK to transition to a net zero economy.

Economic Situation: Biodiversity

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report commissioned by the Treasury The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review, published on 2 February, what steps they are taking to ensure that all children understand how nature contributes to the UK economy.

Baroness Berridge: The department is currently working with Her Majesty’s Treasury to contribute to a full response to the Dasgupta Review. The National Curriculum is a framework which sets out the content that the department expects schools to cover in each subject, but teachers have the flexibility and freedom to determine how they deliver the content in the way that best meets the needs of their pupils. This includes choosing to cover particular topics in greater depth if they wish. Although academies and free schools are not required to teach the National Curriculum, they are expected to teach a curriculum that is similar in breadth and ambition, and this is reflected in the Ofsted school inspection handbook. This can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-handbook-eif. Subject content related to the environment is included within the science and geography National Curriculum. At primary level (key stages 1 and 2), pupils are taught how environments can change, including positive and negative impacts of human action, weather, and climate zones. In secondary science (key stages 3 and 4), pupils are taught about the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the effect that this has on the climate. At GCSE, pupils consider the evidence for anthropogenic causes of climate change. They also study the impact of increased levels of carbon dioxide and methane and how this can be mitigated. Under the key stage 2 non-statutory guidance for citizenship, pupils are taught about the wider world and the interdependence of communities within it. Pupils are taught that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect individuals, communities and the sustainability of the environment. In geography, at key stage 2 and 3 pupils should be taught human geography. In key stage 2, pupils are taught about types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water. In key stage 3 pupils are taught about population and urbanisation, international development, economic activity in the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors, and the use of natural resources. These topics can be built upon in more depth at GCSE. In 2017, the department introduced a new environmental science A level. This enables pupils to study topics that will support their understanding of climate change and how it can be tackled.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Sentences

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide (1) the total number of prisoners serving more than 10 yearspast the expiry of their original tariff, and (2) a breakdown by each year served beyond 10 years.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the breakdown by ethnicityof the number of prisoners still in prison after their tariff expiry.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners continue to be in (1) Category A, and (2) Category B, prisons after the expiry of their original tariff.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The total number of prisoners serving life and Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences who have never been released and as at 31 March 2021 had served more than 10 years past the expiry of their tariff, broken down by each year served beyond 10 years (time over tariff), is shown in the following table:Time over tariff(1)StatusTotalUnreleased IPP Sentenced PrisonersUnreleased Life Sentenced PrisonersFrom 10 years to less than 11 years19791288From 11 years to less than 12 years15968227From 12 years to less than 13 years10665171From 13 years to less than 14 years5771128From 14 years to less than 15 years65864From 15 years to less than 16 years06969From 16 years to less than 17 years03939From 17 years to less than 18 years03939From 18 years to less than 19 years03838From 19 years to less than 20 years01919From 20 years to less than 21 years02020From 21 years to less than 22 years01717From 22 years to less than 23 years02727From 23 years to less than 24 years01212From 24 years to less than 25 years01313From 25 years to less than 26 years066From 26 years to less than 27 years088From 27 years to less than 28 years01111From 28 years to less than 29 years044From 29 years to less than 30 years06630 years or more(1)01717Total5256981,223 (1) These counts have been aggregated due to small numbers. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient. The tariff-expired unreleased indeterminate sentence prisoner population, broken down by ethnicity as of 31 March 2021, is shown in the following table:Ethnicity GroupStatusTotalUnreleased IPP Sentenced PrisonersUnreleased Life Sentenced PrisonersAsian or Asian British8365148Black or Black British208172380Mixed6746113Other ethnic group81119White1,3341,3452,679Unrecorded123Not stated4711Total1,7051,6483,353 The tariff-expired unreleased indeterminate sentence prisoner population, broken down by prison security category as of 31 March 2021, is shown in the following table:Main Function of Prison*Unreleased IPP Sentenced PrisonersUnreleased Life Sentenced PrisonersCat A (High Security)167299Cat B Trainer229203*These prisons may hold prisoners with lower security categories than the main function of the prison. Notes for all tables:1. These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database and Prison-NOMIS held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.2. The figures in these tables do not include recalled indeterminate-sentence prisoners. Statistics on the indeterminate sentence population in prisons are routinely published as part of the Quarterly Offender Management Statistics on Gov.uk - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly.By law prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that the risk they present to the public is capable of being safely managed in the community under probation supervision.

Prisoners: Self-harm

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest data on the number of prisoners reported to have self-harmed while serving imprisonment for public protection sentences on recall.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Figures for the number of self-harm incidents by recalled Imprisonment for Public Protection prisoners for each of the past three years are shown below:2018 = 5842019 = 7432020 = 761We are focussing our efforts to address the levels of self-harm across the prison population, and are under no illusions about the impact of the measures which were put in place to protect lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, so we have made prisoners’ safety and wellbeing our priority.We have produced a range of products to support Governors in devising and implementing local safety and welfare plans designed to mitigate risks and promote wellbeing. Over 25,000 new and existing staff have received self-harm and suicide prevention training to help them better support prisoners with complex needs. We’ve enabled continued family contact through more than 1,600 secure mobile phones and rolled out secure video call technology into every single prison in the male, female and youth estate. Each prisoner is also currently given additional PIN credit per week. We are also delivering more in cell-activities such as distraction packs, supplementary food packs, and additional educational materials to mitigate the impact of isolation.We have renewed our partnership with the Samaritans who are providing the excellent Listeners scheme, which trains selected prisoners to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners.We have prioritised the roll-out of the revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) multi-disciplinary case management system used in prisons to support people at risk of suicide and self-harm.We have delivered improvements to the way we support, and case manage prisoners throughout their sentences by the significant investment in and changes introduced by the new Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) model. This will provide each prisoner with a dedicated key worker who will be able to better support them and identify concerns at an early stage so that they can receive the right support at the right time.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nepal: Coronavirus

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal.

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what requests for bilateral support they have received from the government of Nepal to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic; and what their response has been.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is one of the leading donors to Covax, committing £548m to the scheme, which will provide more than a billion vaccines to developing countries including doses for almost a fifth of Nepal's population. The UK has also funded a new £180,000 duplex oxygen generation plant at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu to help address oxygen shortages to treat COVID19 patients. The UK is also providing £15m of support to international NGOs and the UN to provide shelter, nutrition and other critical needs in Nepal - including cash and voucher assistance to 220,000 vulnerable people's basic needs, nutrition support to 120,000 pregnant and lactating women and infants, 400,000 people with WASH (UNICEF's water, sanitation and hygiene) support, and 210 truckloads of relief supplies to 52 different destinations.On Friday 28 May, a plane carrying the UK’s donation of 260 ventilators and 2,000 visors arrived in Nepal, in response to an urgent request for medical supplies from the Government of Nepal. Moreover, since the beginning of the pandemic, British Embassy Kathmandu has helped Nepal respond to COVID-19 by reprioritising over £40m of its aid budget. This support has included the construction of an oxygen plant in a Kathmandu hospital; technical advice to local government on managing the impact of COVID-19; water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to support around 300,000 people; safe spaces for women in isolation centres; cash and voucher assistance for the most vulnerable; and nutrition support for pregnant and lactating women.

Human Rights and International Law: Sanctions

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the criteria for economic sanctions to be imposed on a nation that is found to have broken (1) international law, and (2) human rights law.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There are no specific criteria which determine when the Government will or will not impose sanctions, but an appropriate Minister may make sanctions regulations for the purposes set out in Section 1 of the Sanctions and Anti- Money Laundering Act. We seek to achieve what have come to be known as 'smart' sanctions: sanctions that are carefully targeted to achieve their goals, while minimising potentially negative wider impacts.

Bahrain: Prisons

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the statement by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights on 30 April, which described the “unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by police special forces” against inmates in Jau prison in Bahrain on 17 April, and following decisions by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, published in May 2020, that at least 32 inmates of Jau prison were arbitrarily detained in violation of international law and in what may constitute “crimes against humanity”, what assessment they have made of the statement made by the UK Ambassador to Bahrain on 6 May that Jau prison is a “well-run facility, with good medical provision”; and what representations they intend to make to the government of Bahrain to allow the United Nations Special Rapporteur urgent access to (a) Bahrain, and (b) Jau prison.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO considers a range of information regarding human rights in Bahrain. The visit to Jau prison on 3 May enabled the UK Ambassador and other international representatives to see the facilities at Jau prison first hand, understand the Covid-19 measures implemented, and raise human rights matters directly. We continue to raise specific cases as and when we have concerns and encourage the Government of Bahrain to engage with appropriate interested parties, including the UN.

Abdullah al-Huwaiti

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will call for clemency for Abdullah al Howaiti in Saudi Arabia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. The Saudi authorities are well aware of the UK's opposition to the use of the death penalty. We reiterated our opposition to the death penalty in Saudi Arabia in a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 15 September.We regularly raise our concerns about the use of the death penalty, including individual cases with the Saudi Arabian authorities and we will continue to do so. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised the use of the death penalty with the Human Rights Commission during his visit to Saudi Arabia on 24 May 2021.

Israel: International Law

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether action needs to be taken to ensure that there is a cost to the government of Israel if it is found to have broken international law.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is a steadfast supporter of international justice and does not hold back from voicing or raising concern about Israel's actions when warranted. However, Israel has a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend its citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of independent (1) reporting, and (2) monitoring, of human rights during the current conflict in Israel and Palestine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have not made this assessment. However, the UK continues to engage with the Israeli government on human rights issues in the context of the occupation. Israel has a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend its citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. The situation on the ground demonstrates the urgent need to make progress towards peace. We will continue to support human rights scrutiny in Israel and the OPTs, and support Palestinian self-determination.

Palestinians: Recognition of States

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the criteria necessary for them to recognise Palestine as a State.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a time when it best serves the objective of peace. Bilateral recognition in itself cannot end the occupation. Without a negotiated settlement the occupation and the problems that come with it will continue. We continue to work closely with international partners to strongly advocate for a two-state solution and encourage a return to meaningful negotiations between both parties.

Palestinians: Security

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make a statement that the Palestinians under occupation are entitled to security and self-defence.

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they consider necessary to achieve a long-term resolution to the conflict in Israel and Palestine

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The recent violence across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories demonstrates the urgent need to make progress towards peace. The UK worked actively to urge the parties to work with mediators towards an immediate ceasefire. We also fully supported Egyptian, Qatari and UN efforts to that end, working closely with the US. The UK welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza on 20 May, which is an important step to ending the cycle of violence and loss of civilian life.We agree with President Biden's recent remarks that Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely and to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and democracy. Our long-standing objective is a negotiated two-state solution which will allow Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace, lessening the likelihood of politically driven violence and incitement to violence. We continue to believe that the best way to advance a two state solution is through dialogue. We therefore urge all sides to show maximum restraint and refrain from taking actions which endanger civilians and make peace more difficult.

Latifa bint Mohammed Al-Maktoum

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what approaches they have made to the government of the United Arab Emirates about the situation of Princess Latifa Al Maktoum.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the allegations surrounding Princess Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum. We are aware that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has asked the UAE Mission in Geneva for further information and proof of life. We will continue to follow developments closely.

Nepal: Overseas Aid

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what overseas development assistance compliant bilateral financial support they intend to give Nepal over the next five years, broken down by project.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is one of the leading donors to COVAX, committing £548 million to the scheme, which will provide more than a billion vaccines to developing countries including doses for almost a fifth of Nepal's population. The UK has also funded a new £180,000 duplex oxygen generation plant at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu to help address oxygen shortages to treat COVID19 patients. On 27 May the UK sent a further package of support to Nepal to help the country's fight against coronavirus. This included 260 ventilators and personal protective equipment.As the Foreign Secretary set out in his Written Ministerial Statement on 21 April, we have prioritised our aid to be more strategic and remain a force for good across the world. The Foreign Secretary's statement set out seven core priorities for the UK's aid budget in the overarching pursuit of poverty reduction. These principles combined with a strategic approach will ensure that every penny we spend, including to Nepal, goes as far as possible and makes a world-leading differenceThe details of UK bilateral assistance programmes are set out in FCDO's DevTracker. This provides each project's allocation, the amount spent to date, and the end date for each project. Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2020/21 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development website and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

Gurkhas: Coronavirus

Lord Swinfen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are giving to serving and retired Ghurkas and their families in Nepal to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We recognise the invaluable contribution Gurkhas make to our armed forces. Gurkhas serve with honour and distinction and are a vital part of our bilateral relationship. The UK-funded Gurkha Welfare Trust has ensured access to life-saving support and supplies to Gurkha veterans and their communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also financing antigen kits for district hospitals across Nepal with distribution being done by the Gurkha Welfare Trust, and two districts have so far received these kits.More broadly in Nepal, the UK has funded a new £180,000 duplex oxygen generation plant at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu to help address oxygen shortages to treat COVID19 patients. We are also one of the leading donors to COVAX, committing £548m to the scheme, which will provide more than a billion vaccines to developing countries including doses for almost a fifth of Nepal's population.

War Crimes: Accountability

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the importance of accountability for war crimes.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to the principle that there should be no impunity for those who perpetrate the most serious crimes of international concern, including war crimes. This commitment underpins our support for international criminal justice and accountability as a global Force for Good.The UK has always been, and remains, a strong supporter of an effective International Criminal Court (ICC), alongside other international tribunals. In addition, we provide political, financial and practical support for accountability mechanisms such as the Independent Impartial Investigative Mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Syria since March 2011. We also provide support to the United Nations Investigative Team to promote accountability for crimes committed by Da'esh.

Abune Antonios

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss with the government of Eritrea the case for releasing Abune Antonios from house arrest.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea, including the arrests of religious figures such as Patriarch Abune Antonios of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewadho Church who has been detained for over 15 years. The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief raised Patriarch Abune Antonios' case with the Eritrean Ambassador on 20 May, and our Ambassador in Asmara tweeted to call for the Patriarch and others detained for their faith to be released.The UK Government takes every opportunity to voice our concern about arbitrary arrests and detentions in Eritrea on the basis of religion or belief, and have called for release of such worshippers. We have done so directly with the Government of Eritrea and publicly - through our annual reporting on human rights and at the UN Human Rights Council. The UK raised Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Eritrea in a statement by the UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, at the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council. We also encouraged Eritrea to make progress on their commitment to the Universal Periodic Review process including the promotion of FoRB. Eritrea remains a priority country under our annual human rights reporting, and we will continue to monitor the situation there. I raised human rights when I met the Eritrean Ambassador to the UK on 16 March.

Armenia: Azerbaijan

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of comments made by the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia on 12 May about encroachments by the Azerbaijani army into the territory of Armenia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is closely monitoring the situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border following an increase in tensions. We welcome the ongoing communication between the parties and urge them to use this opportunity to de-escalate the situation peacefully.

Armenia: Prisoners of War

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of Armenian prisoners of war that have yet to be returned by the government of Azerbaijan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas urged both parties to work with the ICRC to expedite the return of all prisoners of war. Our Embassies in Baku and Yerevan continue to raise this with the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Ministry of Defence

Navy: Deployment

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to HMS Queen Elizabeth's first operational deployment, what is the number of personnel on (1) HMS Queen Elizabeth, (2) the six accompanying Royal Navy ships, and (3) the Royal Navy submarine in the Carrier Strike Group.

Baroness Goldie: The Carrier Strike Group 21 is the largest and most ambitious global deployment of the Royal Navy for a generation. The number of personnel on board each ship will vary over the course of the deployment due to operational requirements, however the following table provides the average crew sizes, broken down by Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship, deployed in the Carrier Strike Group. Ship NameNumber of PersonnelHMS Queen Elizabeth1,600HMS Defender235HMS Diamond235HMS Kent185HMS Richmond185RFA Fort Victoria135RFA Tidespring65Astute Class SubmarineNot Declared Due to operational security reasons we do not comment on submarine issues.

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Poverty

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the latest Households Below Average Income release, published on 25 March, what steps they are taking to address the rising number of children in relative poverty.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the latest Households Below Average Income release, published on 25 March, what steps they are taking to support larger families living in poverty.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the latest Households Below Average Income release, published on 25 March, how they plan to address the rise in child poverty in the North East of England.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: This Government has long championed the principle of work as the most effective way of reducing poverty. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment, particularly where it is full-time, in significantly reducing the risk of poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for all families and children, including families with three or more children. Such families are two and a half times less likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) if all of the adults in their household are working compared to if none of the adults are working. Our Plan for Jobs is already delivering for people of all ages right across the country and includes investing over £7 billion on new schemes such as the £2 billion Kickstart Scheme, the Restart Scheme and our Job Entry Targeted Support Scheme. We want everyone to be able to get into decent jobs and progress in work. We are also putting more money into the pockets of the low-paid, including by increasing the national living wage and by spending an estimated £112 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2020/2, including around £7.4 billion of Covid-related welfare policy measures. As a Government, we have always believed that absolute poverty is a better measure of living standards than relative poverty. Relative poverty tends to fall when median income shrinks, something that is particularly relevant in the current economic circumstances. The latest statistics for 2019/20 show that, before the pandemic, household incomes had seen the strongest annual growth for almost 20 years across the entire income distribution, with 1.3 million fewer people, including 300,000 children, in absolute poverty (after housing costs) compared with 2010. And, in the three years to 2019/20, the proportion of children in absolute poverty (after housing costs) in the North East region fell by 2 percentage points compared with the three years to 2009/10

Jobcentre Plus: Armed Forces

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Department for Work and Pensions Armed Forces Champions thereare (1) in total, (2) onJobcentre sites, and (3) in Jobcentre plus districts.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department remains committed to the Armed Forces Covenant and will do what is necessary to provide members of the Armed Forces Community with the help and support they need and deserve. It wants to move towards a situation where it helps serving veterans and others in a more intelligent and effective way and better matches available resources with demand. The Department started to put in place new arrangements in April to transform the way it supports members of the Armed Forces Community, building on the successful network of Armed Forces Champions. For the first time there will be a dedicated armed forces role at middle management level in each of the 11 Jobcentre Plus Groups. The 11 group Leads will form a virtual network and will be responsible for building capability and sharing best practice across the network. They will also be expected to be pro-active in liaising with the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force on both recruitment and resettlement. These Armed Forces Champions Leads will oversee 50 Armed Forces Champions across the Jobcentre Plus network (including at least one in each of the 37 Jobcentre Plus Districts) who will have specific responsibilities for supporting members of the Armed Forces Community as part of their job – and again for the first time this will involve a front line role personally handling some claims, supporting veterans into work and helping resolve complex cases where necessary. Recruitment to these roles is largely complete and the Department expects all of the roles to be filled within the next few weeks. All of the Leads have been appointed, with most in post already. Armed Forces Champions have been appointed in 34 Districts so far. Officials in the Department have discussed the new model with a number of Armed Forces stakeholders, and so far it has been very well received.There are also many staff across the DWP network based in individual Jobcentre offices who will be the local “expert” on Armed Forces issues and the Department is continually working to build capability across the Jobcentre Plus network. It has also recently introduced an Armed Forces “identifier” on to the Universal Credit system which will help ensure that veterans and serving personnel making new claims to Universal Credit are given the help and support they need. These dedicated Armed Forces roles will complement the investment in recruiting an additional 13,500 Work Coaches overall (and every Work Coach receives appropriate training to support members of the Armed Forces Community), as well as investing billions of pounds in employment support schemes (such as Kickstart and JETS). And this will come on top of the other support already in place. For example, veterans are given early voluntary entry to the Work and Health Programme. And using Service Medical Board evidence where possible, a severely disabled person does not have to undergo additional examinations for Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit purposes.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Horticulture: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland has affected the sale of horticultural autumn bulbs from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Lord Benyon: Following the end of the transition period on 1 January 2021, EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) rules continue to apply in Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland Protocol. This upholds the longstanding status of the island of Ireland as a single epidemiological unit, and means that all regulated plants and plant products moving from GB to NI are required to meet the EU’s third country import requirements, including the requirement for regulated goods to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. As announced in the updated operational guidance for the movement of horticultural goods from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI), bulbs or vegetables that have been grown in soil can be sent from GB to NI even if they still have soil attached, while respecting any pest free area requirements. Under the Government’s successful Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS), businesses moving plants and plant products from GB to NI do not need to pay for the fees associated with inspections and issuance of phytosanitary certificates (PC). The Government announced on 6 April 2021 that MAS will continue to provide traders with advice and guidance via the dedicated MAS helpline and financial support for certain certification costs. The Government will continue to monitor the performance of the scheme and will review it again in three months’ time, to determine how best to provide ongoing support to traders. Prior to 1 January, data was not collected on the movement of horticultural autumnal bulbs from GB to NI. Although the Plant Health and Seed Inspectorate (PHSI) collect data on the number of bulb phytosanitary applications, comparisons with exports prior to the Northern Ireland Protocol’s implementation cannot be drawn, as consignments of bulbs were not inspected before 1 January 2021. The Government recognises the importance of this issue and is recording data on the number of PCs issued for regulated plants and plant products, including bulbs, exported to all third countries and for those moved from GB to NI. This enables us to monitor the trade in these goods over time.

Children: Countryside

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all children, not only those at a crisis point, have access to nature.

Lord Benyon: Defra recognises the crucial importance of having good access to green spaces for health and well-being. The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our comprehensive and long-term approach to protecting and enhancing our natural landscapes in England for the next generation, and to helping people improve their health and wellbeing by connecting with nature. There are a wide range of initiatives within Defra which will help to increase access to green spaces across the whole of England. These include, but are not limited to:Trees for Climate programmeGreen Recovery Challenge FundGreen Social Prescribing ProjectEngagement with Protected Landscapes to improve accessNature for Climate FundNational Framework of Green Infrastructure StandardsDevelopment of the England Coast Path and a new coast to coast National Trail in the north of England On access to nature for children specifically:The Children and Nature Programme, managed jointly by Defra, Natural England, and Department for Education, aims to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have better access to natural environments.Generation Green, a project funded through the first round of the Green Recovery Challenge Fund. It is a 16-month project, in partnership with the 10 English National Parks, that aims to provide more than 100,000 progressive opportunities to connect young people to nature, prioritising young people from BAME groups, disadvantaged backgrounds and coastal communities. It also aims to create and save jobs and build an aspirant workforce for a green recovery.

Dogs: Northern Ireland

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise the minimum age at which a dog bred in Northern Ireland can enter Great Britain.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Now the Transition Period has ended, the Government has the opportunity to manage our own pet travel and commercial importation rules. The Government has listened to the concerns of stakeholders and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) select committee and has developed proposals to strengthen our efforts to tackle puppy smuggling. We will legislate to bring in powers which enable us to bring in new restrictions on the commercial import and non-commercial movement of pets on welfare grounds in the future. This could include increasing the minimum age that dogs can be non-commercially moved or commercially imported into Great Britain. We are not currently proposing to apply these rules on pets travelling from Northern Ireland to GB, via the commercial or the non-commercial route.

Climate Change: Urban Areas

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK cities have adaptation plans to respond to the impacts of climate change.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: This information is not available. Quantifying adaptation plans in UK cities to respond to climate change impacts is a complicated and time-consuming process, and information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Waste: Exports

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to stop exporting waste to other countries for disposal or recycling.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The export of UK waste for disposal is generally prohibited, save for the strictly limited exceptions which are laid out in the UK Plan for Shipments of Waste. In addition, the UK Government is committed to banning the export of plastic waste for recycling to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Government will consult on this measure and work is underway to make this happen.

Home Office

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

Lord Greenhalgh: The UK signed the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) in 2012, signalling its strong commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), and this Government remains committed to ratifying it.The Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Act 2017 requires Ministers to publish annual reports on their progress towards being able to ratify the Convention. The most recent report was published on 22 October 2020 and can be found here: Ratification of the Council of Europe convention on combating violence against women and domestic violence - progress report 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Passports: Dual Nationality

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government why dual country nationals are required to send their original foreign passport to the Home Office when applying to renew their UK passport; and what consideration they have given to allowing those individuals to instead supply a certified copy.

Lord Greenhalgh: Where a dual national holds a passport issued by another country, HM Passport Office requires this to be provided in support of a British passport application as part of its range of checks to confirm the applicant’s identity and eligibility. This includes ensuring the British passport is issued in the same identity the holder uses for all official purposes.We ask customers to send their original document to allow physical checks ensure it is genuine, and we can return it during the application process if requested. In countries where legal restrictions prevent a customer submitting their passport as part of their application, a ‘local service’ is in place to submit the application so officials can check the original document and send a copy to HM Passport Office in the UK.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of writing to individuals born in the EU but naturalised as British citizens, stating that they require UK Immigration Status after 30 June in order to carry on living in the UK.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is using every possible channel to encourage everyone who is eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to apply. The Home Office is currently working with HMRC and DWP to send letters to EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who receive benefits, but it appears are yet to apply to the EUSS. These letters seek to encourage recipients to apply to the EUSS to protect their existing rights in the UK before the deadline of 30 June 2021.In trying to reach as many people as possible, there may be a small number of instances where these letters are sent to recipients who are naturalised as a British citizen. The letter may also be received by a small number of individuals who have already applied to the EUSS, for example because they applied after the initial exercise with DWP or HMRC was completed, but before the letter was sent out. The letter makes clear anyone who is a British citizen or already has EUSS status does not need to take any action.As of 30 April 2021, 4.9m grants of status had been made. The Home Office urges anyone eligible for the EUSS to apply before the 30 June deadline to ensure their rights are protected following the end of the grace period.

Immigration: EU Nationals

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the article in the Guardian Home Office letter wrongly tells British citizens to apply for settled status, published on 17 May, what assessment they have made of the accuracy of their databases regarding citizenship status; and what remedial action they are taking in relation to this matter.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is using every possible channel to encourage everyone who is eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to apply. The Home Office is currently working with HMRC and DWP to encourage EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who receive benefits to apply to the EUSS if they have yet to do so. Letters are being sent out to encourage recipients to apply to the EUSS to protect their existing rights in the UK before the deadline of 30 June 2021.In trying to reach as many people as possible, there may be a small number of instances where these letters are sent to recipients who are naturalised as a British citizen. The letter may also be received by a small number of individuals who have already applied to the EUSS, for example because they applied after the initial exercise with DWP or HMRC was completed, but before the letter was sent out. The letter makes clear anyone who is a British citizen or already has EUSS status does not need to take any action.As of 30 April 2021, 4.9m grants of EUSS status have been made. The Home Office urges anyone eligible for the EUSS to apply before the 30 June deadline to ensure their rights are protected following the end of the grace period.The Home Office recognises the importance of maintaining high standards of data quality within our systems and frameworks are in place to manage data quality, both proactively and in response to issues when they are identified.

Passports: British National (Overseas)

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 29 April (HL15262), whether they will now answer the question put, namely,how many British National (Overseas) passports were issued in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many people have used the new British National (Overseas) visa scheme to come to the UK since it was introduced in January.

Lord Greenhalgh: The table below provides data up to the end of March on BN(O) passports issued in the last 12 months. Volume of BN(O)sApr-20363May-202,270Jun-207,719Jul-2024,972Aug-2033,249Sep-2048,081Oct-2060,907Nov-2056,563Dec-2039,689Jan-2113,315Feb-218,217Mar-217,032 * These figures have been taken from a live operational database. As such, numbers may change as information on that system is updated.Information on how many visas for the Hong Kong BN(O) route have been granted between 31 January and 31 March was published in the quarterly migration statistics release on 27 May and can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

Coronavirus: Aviation

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are putting in place to ensure that individuals arriving from non-‘red list’ countries have not been in ‘red list’ countries in the previous 28 days.

Lord Greenhalgh: All passengers who have been in a red list country in the 10 days before travel to the UK must take a pre-departure test (PDT), complete a passenger locator form (PLF), book tests to be taken on days 2 & 8 after arrival and quarantine for 10 days in an approved hotel. Passengers who have declared travel from or through red list countries, and who do not qualify for a work-related exemption, cannot complete a PLF without providing confirmation of a booking in managed quarantine.Carriers are required to check passengers travelling to the UK have completed a PLF and taken a PDT.Border Force continue to work with DfT and DHSC to identify passengers who are attempting to circumvent the MQS requirements, but it would not be appropriate to comment publicly on the detail of the operations concerned.

Immigration: EEA Nationals

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey have taken to ensure that British citizens who are also EU/EEA citizens do not receive communications asking them to apply for settled status; and what estimate they have made of the number of such citizens who have been contacted to apply for settled status.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government is using every possible channel to encourage everyone who may be eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to apply. The Home Office has worked extensively to promote awareness of the EUSS. Since 2019, we have delivered a major EUSS paid advertising campaign, and worked closely with employers, local authorities, stakeholders and charities to raise awareness and support applications.The Home Office is currently working with HMRC and DWP to send letters to EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who receive benefits, but it appears are yet to apply to the EUSS. These letters seek to encourage recipients to apply to the EUSS to protect their existing rights in the UK before the deadline of 30 June 2021.In trying to reach as many people as possible, there may be a small number of instances where these letters are sent to recipients who are naturalised as a British citizen. The letter may also be received by a small number of individuals who have already applied to the EUSS, for example because they applied after the initial exercise with DWP or HMRC was completed, but before the letter was sent out. The letter makes clear anyone who is a British citizen or already has EUSS status does not need to take any action.As of 30 April 2021, 4.9m grants of status had been made. The Home Office urges anyone eligible for the EUSS to apply before the 30 June deadline to ensure their rights are protected following the end of the grace period.

Immigration: EEA Nationals

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how EEA nationals with settled or pre-settled status will be covered by the Right to Rent scheme checks after 30 June; andwhat the position will be forEEA nationals who are (1) tenants, or (2) prospective tenants, but fail to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme by30 June.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: EEA citizens with settled or pre-settled status granted through the EU Settlement Scheme will evidence their right to rent digitally using the Home Office online service on GOV.UK, ‘prove your right to rent in England’. https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-rent Where the landlord has carried out checks, in the prescribed manner, on or before 30 June, there is no requirement to carry out retrospective checks or evict a tenant, as they have a continuous statutory excuse against liability for a civil penalty. Where an EEA citizen has reasonable grounds for missing the EUSS application deadline, they will be given an opportunity to make a late application. Any EEA citizen encountered by Immigration Enforcement after 30 June 2021, who may be eligible to apply to the EUSS, will be issued with a notice which provides a further 28 days for the individual to submit their application.

Migrants: Children

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the UK’s departure from the European Union, what instructions they have given schools to ask for documentary proof of pupils’ indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government provides advice for state funded schools and local authorities on gov.uk. The website is clear ‘school admission authorities must not refuse to admit a child on the basis of their nationality or immigration status nor remove them from roll on this basis. The guidance can be found at:www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-childrenIt is the responsibility of parents to check their children have a right, under their visa entry conditions, to study at a school.’ The School Admissions Code would not permit schools to ask for proof of pupils’ indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom as a condition of admission.Independent schools which also hold a student sponsor license have a general duty to assure themselves sponsored students have a right to study in the UK throughout their course. This is a long-standing policy for student sponsors able to recruit international students from overseas through the Student or Child Student routes.

Women and Equalities

Females: Employment

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Vodafone Lost Connections, published in May; and what steps they are taking to ensure that women do not face increased barriers when returning to work.

Baroness Berridge: I welcome the Vodafone report and the work of others to highlight the barriers some carers and parents face when balancing their care and work responsibilities. I met with female employees from Vodafone in May to hear about which initiatives have worked to support them, especially through the pandemic, and what challenges remain.The Government recognises the vital role unpaid carers and parents play and has put a range of measures in place to help. In our manifesto we committed to extending the entitlement to leave for unpaid carers to one week. The Government has also funded 25 ‘returner programmes’ to support those with caring responsibilities back to work.As we look to Build Back Better, increasing the take up of remote and flexible working will give more freedom and opportunity to people with caring responsibilities. In April the Government reconvened the Flexible Working Taskforce, tasking them to help employers build on the lessons we have learned through the pandemic to embed more flexible ways of working.Strong digital connectivity is crucial in supporting more flexible working. This Government’s delivery of national gigabit connectivity means that today, over two in five premises can access gigabit-capable networks, up from just one in ten in November 2019. By the end of the year, 60% will have access, and by 2025 the Government is targeting a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage. In rural areas we are investing £5bn to ensure those living in hard-to-reach areas get the gigabit connectivity they deserve.

Question

Baroness Noakes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Akua Reindorf for the University of Essex, published on 17 May; and what plans they have to prohibit departments seeking advice from Stonewall on diversity policies.

Baroness Berridge: My department has noted the report by Akua Reindorf for the University of Essex. Currently, decisions on engaging with external service providers on diversity and inclusion are delegated to individual departments.